In this vibrant, moving, and poetic short film, a diverse group of women powerfully join together to name and challenge issues of everyday sexism.

Interview with Director Clare Unsworth and Producer/Writer Leah Thorn

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Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

CU: I met Leah Thorn at Folkestone WOW – Women of the World Festival – she was one of the curators of the festival, and I was there filming events. I had been to a couple of her poetry events locally, and I loved what she was doing, and then Leah approached me after the festival to say that she was interested in making a couple of films for poems she had written as part of her work as a women’s liberation activist. For me, it was a perfect fit – the issues are really important to me, I love poetry film, and Leah is wonderful to work with.

LT: As a spoken word poet, I love poetry films as they are such a good way to get a message out more widely than a one-off performance. I had written two poems, ‘count’ and ‘shhh!’ that I thought would work well as films and when I met Clare I wanted to collaborate with her. I really appreciated her calm, focused commitment to her work and loved the rhythmic way she cut her films and the vulnerability and tenderness she captured. I knew I could trust her with my words.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

CU: It’s short! And it’s about everyday sexism – issues that women face so often that in some cases they take on a sense of normalcy. So this film was about naming those behaviours, abuses and the subtleties of sexism. I think awareness is a good starting point for people to start questioning where they may be complicit or where they may be able to call out sexism. It’s also about validating the feelings of people who are harmed by gendered prejudice, from lots of different walks of life.

LT: The film says a lot in a short space of time. The women clearly believe in what they’re saying, and allow themselves to show what they’re feeling. I think that openness helps the viewer access their feelings rather than just have a cerebral interaction with facts. And it’s really positive to have a group of women reach for unity without papering over the differences between them.

Count

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

CU: Universally, everyone wants to be treated fairly, to be free to make their own choices, to feel safe – no one wants to be judged or hindered by their skin colour or gender. I’m very at odds with the concept of gender anyway, and all of the other ways people divide themselves up into dictated groups.

LT: The poem, and the way I have brought women together to ‘perform’ it, completely reflect my passion for women’s liberation. I got into the Women’s Liberation Movement in my mid-twenties and I appreciate the gains that have been made for women nationally and globally over the last five decades – and I lament how little has changed and how sexism has got more entrenched in some ways. I was fed up with hearing that sexism is no longer a key issue in society and that the need for women’s liberation is over. So I set myself the task of writing a short, straightforward poem that would highlight some of the things women in the West have to contend with.

As I was writing the poem, I tried it out on a diverse group of women – young women in school, older women in women’s groups, women in prison, university students. It seemed to work. When it came to filming, I wanted to make sure younger women and women targeted by racism were at the centre. We got ready for the filming by talking to each other about what ending sexism meant to us and although there couldn’t be absolute agreement, by the time the filming day came we were really together.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?

CU: The development of ‘Count’ was quite straightforward as we started with a pretty strong idea of what we wanted to do. I love list films so Leah assembled a wonderful group of women who were all really responsive and they made some great suggestions. Essentially, the development of this project was largely based on their generosity – their time, their openness on camera, and their engagement with the issues. We built the bare bones and they breathed life into it – along with Leah’s poem obviously.

LT: All I’d add is that Clare’s creativity and skill deepened the poem and she developed a powerful atmosphere with music and close-ups. She also had a great idea [which I thought would never work!] of leaving each woman alone in a room with the camera running. The results are poignant and strong.

Count

What type of feedback have you received so far?

CU: People seem to have been quite moved by ‘Count’ – a lot of people have told us that they found it very powerful.

LT: I can’t quite believe that a no-budget film shot in 6 hours in someone’s front room in Folkestone is screening in places like New Orleans, Nevada and Alaska. And I love being in the audience when it’s shown as its thrilling to be surrounded by people recognising what is being said on film.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

CU: In a strange way, I was a little bit surprised by how overwhelmingly positive the response has been. I expected to come across more backlash because these issues can really put some people on the defensive, but I’ve not really had that experience yet.

LT: I have shown it to mixed-gender audiences and I’ve been challenged [but not surprised] by the responses of some men who see all of the women in the film as angry or bitter, or they feel left-out and that I should have acknowledged men’s issues too.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

CU: Mostly, I’m just really proud of this project and of all the women who put their time into it – and so I’m just keen to share it with as many people as possible.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

CU: It’s just about getting it screened really – so the focus has been getting it to festivals, which has been pretty successful. It’s also played at a few other events which has been exciting too.

LT: I am still waiting for a few film festivals to decide if they will screen ‘count’. By January it will be good to get ‘count’ out widely through social media

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

CU: If people watch it and reflect on the issues personally or through discussion, then that’s great – if it helps them to challenge sexism, then that’s brilliant.

Count

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

LT: A key question would be ‘How does sexism impact your life?’ And if people say it doesn't, that's a good point for conversation

What are the key creatives developing or working on now?

CU: We recently finished a second film together ‘Shhh’ – a dance film, which explores the systematic silencing of women.

LT: My latest project is called ‘Older Women Rock!’ and it uses poetry to raise awareness and explore issues that women face as they reach ‘early old age’ [55-70 years]. One of the strands will be poetry/film and I want to work with Clare on this.

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In this vibrant, moving, and poetic short film, a diverse group of women powerfully join together to name and challenge issues of everyday sexism.

Length: 3.00

Director: Clare Unsworth

Producer/ Writer: Leah Thorn

About the writer, director and producer:

Clare Unsworth is a Folkestone-based filmmaker with a strong focus on collaborative projects and social issues.

Leah Thorn is a spoken word poet, published through performance, film and anthologies in England and the United States. At the heart of her poetry is the autobiographical exploration of identity and of issues of liberation

Release date: September 2015

Where can I watch it in the next month?

It will soon be available as part of the Women’s Voices Now 2016 festival archive.